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Wet weather, higher prices for water and conservation efforts have been so successful that the City of Ottawa is seeing water consumption dropping like a stone in a pond — creating a projected revenue shortfall of more than $7 million for this year.
A report going to the city’s planning and environment committee next week says water consumption in Ottawa has fallen 6.5 per cent from budgeted estimates.
Peter Hume, chairman of the planning committee, says the reduced demand helps the city in some ways. Water plants will last longer and there are reduced chemical and power costs. But he says some costs, such as maintaining plants and related buildings, cannot be avoided, and the shortfall will have to be covered, mostly by issuing some additional debt. The trend could also force some future rate increases.
“People aren’t watering their lawns,” said Hume, noting three years of falling consumption. “We’re seeing a consistent, downward trend in water consumption.”
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